


The Note

by tickandtemp



Category: The Underland Chronicles (Suzanne Collins)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-17
Updated: 2015-05-17
Packaged: 2018-03-30 22:36:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 878
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3954412
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tickandtemp/pseuds/tickandtemp
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Luxa receives the note Gregor had written shortly before he went to battle against the Bane. Prompt suggested by Tumblr user sweatshirtsandsocks.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Note

When Luxa and Aurora were freed from the dungeon, they had both received two pieces of news. One, the humans had won the War of Time. Two, the Warrior was still alive.

Luxa heard news of Gregor, and when she was told that he was being held in the hospital, she raced down there as soon as she could. She couldn't believe that he was alive, not when the Bane was dead and Sandwich called for Gregor's death, and when she saw Gregor sleeping in the hospital bed, surrounded by his sisters and father, she almost fainted in disbelief.

From what she saw, the doctors had already taken care of any major wounds, and only the family sat in there. She couldn't be sure of whether or not they wanted to be alone, so she lightly tapped on the glass. Both she and her golden bond awaited the answer. The father, the man whom they had saved during the Prophecy of Gray over a year ago, looked up with a smile, and he waved at her. Both Luxa and Aurora assumed that this was an invitation, and they entered the hospital room.

"Luxa!" Boots greeted with outstretched arms.

"How fare you, Boots?" Luxa managed to smile.

"Gre-go sleeping," she replied, and she put her chubby index finger to her lips. "Shhh."

"Oh, Luxa," Lizzie piped up to her left. "Gregor wanted me to give you a note. He told me to give it because he thought I'd get back before he did."

With that said, Lizzie dug out a note from her pocket, and she held it out to Luxa. The royal girl took it. It had a bit of dust on it, which she brushed off with her fingers, and she carefully unfolded it. To her surprise, Gregor had written it in Transmission Code, and she could read it as easily as she could plain English.

"Sorry but one of us has to live," she read to herself. "I love you."

"How've you been, Luxa?" Gregor's father asked.

"Fairly well, given the circumstances," she replied, placing the note in her pocket. She didn't want to tell him that she had been locked in a dungeon for almost a week because Gregor knew that there had been no other way to keep her safe. She didn't want to describe how betrayed she felt when Gregor told Solovet to throw her in there, nor did she want to describe how she spent her time in the dungeon either cursing or mourning Gregor. The only one who knew how she ached was Aurora, and she wasn't going to tell Gregor's father anything.

Luxa peered at Gregor's hand, noticing his right hand clenched tightly to a blood-covered claw. She didn't have to ask whose claw that was. She and Aurora exchanged a single glance, and they both guessed that the claw belonged to Ares. She was tempted to unwrap Gregor's fingers and replace Ares' claw with her own hand, but she knew she couldn't. Not yet, at least.

Luxa heard a knock on the glass and spun around. It was Howard.

"Who brought Gregor back?" Luxa asked.

"Well," Howard grimaced. "If you must know, his presence is thanks to the efforts of Photos-Glow-Glow and Zap."

Luxa couldn't help but smile. Though she couldn't be sure what motivated the gluttonous shiners to save Gregor, she knew she had to reward them handsomely. She looked back at the unconscious Gregor and blinked back tears, unable to describe the gratitude she felt toward the shiners. Still, she thought, the prophecy called for Gregor to die, and she knew she had to let him go eventually. With Gregor here, there was still the chance he would wake up, and for the two of them to make amends and say goodbye in a proper manner. She couldn't bear the thought of curse words being the last thing she said to them.

She took a deep breath and replied. "His saviors must be rewarded in the most proper fashion. Where are they?"

Howard smiled. "Waiting to see you, Luxa. They're expecting your tokens of gratitude any minute now."

She waved goodbye to Gregor's sisters and father and followed Howard out of Gregor's hospital room. Together, they walked, arm in arm, and Howard led her to a separate room near the palace's kitchen. Nothing surprised her about the shiners waiting there, and when she entered, Photos-Glow-Glow and Zap emitted bright light from their rear ends.

"Welcome, shiners," she said.

Both Photos-Glow-Glow and Zap gave a low bow. "Hello, Queen Luxa."

Photos-Glow-Glow was the first to rise. "I hope you informed her of our bravery, Howard."

Howard rolled his eyes. "Of course. She came here to thank you personally."

Luxa nodded. "I must express my gratitude toward you both, somehow, for saving our warrior. But... how?"

Luxa said those last words with a smile and eyed the shiners' flickering lights. She smiled as she kept the shiners in suspense, their butts glowing more and more brightly until they overpowered the room's torches, and she folded her hands in front of her in a professional manner. Photos-Glow-Glow and Zap huddled together, awaiting Luxa's response, and when she uttered these last words, they buzzed around in joy.

"Let there be cake."


End file.
